Recorder



A. E. ANDERSON RECORDER oct. 19, 194s.

original Filedsept. a, 1945 29 6/ 57552 ZZ 56 I-:Y 65 62 67 2 Sheets-Sheet l sfr ATTORNE Patented Oct. 19, 1948.

RECORDER Albert E. Anderson, Holbrook, Mass., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Submarine Signal Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Original application September 8, 1943, Serial No.

Divided and this application September 15. 1945, Serial No. 616,579

2 Claims. 1

The present 4application is a division of application Serial No. 501,727, led September 8, 1943.

The present invention relates to recording apparatus particularly for recording short time intervals. Still more particularly the present invention relates to recorders for echo distance measurement in which the time interval between the transmission of a wave impulse and the receipt of a reiiected impulse is used as a measure of the distance.,

In echo depth sounding a compressional wave impulse is transmitted into the water and the impulse reiiected from the ocean or river bottom, as the case may be, is received and caused to effect a marking of a record paper by a stylus which is moved at a uniform speed over the paper.

The object of this invention is the provision of an arrangement whereby a so-called ix mark can be made across the record paper at any desired instant, for example, when the ship crosses a predetermined position.

The above and other features of the present invention will best be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of my recording instrument broken away in parts; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line II-II in Fig. 1; Fig. 2a is a partial back elevation of the same device; Fig. 3 shows in elevation the recording stylus holder as well as a circuit diagram of the arrangement for producing fix marks; Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the signal impulse transmitting circuit; and Fig. 5 illustrates a record as made by the recording instrument.

Referring, rst, to Figs. 1 and 2, a recording stylus I is arranged to move rapidly at a constant speed over a record paper 2. The stylus is mounted on an arm 3 xed by screws 4 to a cam 5 which is provided with a central hub 6 by which the cam is mounted on a shaft 1. The cam is held in place on the shaft by ball bearings 8 on the one side and by the shoulder 9 of a knob I on the other side. The ball bearing 8 is supported in a xed frame II in which it is held in position by the retaining ring I2. A constant speed motor I3 is also mounted on the frame. The motor shaft I4 carries a worm I5 within a gear box I6 where the worm meshes with gear yIl fixed to the shaft 1. The shaft 1 is further supported by ball bearings I8 mounted in the gear box casing. By this arrangement the camv and therefore the stylus I can be rotated at a constant speed. The cam 5 is substantially circular except for a small cutaway portion I9 as shown in Fig. 1 whereby the impulse transmitting contacts are operated. A bracket 20 is xed to the frame II as by screws 2I. This bracket is in the form of a yoke having a central ring-shaped portion 22 which is concentric with the shaft l. Upon the ring 22 there is mounted a ring gear 23 which is held in place by a retaining ring 24 fastened by screws 25 to an outwardly extending flange 25 formed in the ring 22. To the ring gear there are mounted a plurality of contact-carrying arcuate segments, three of which are shown as 21, 28 and 29. These are fastened to the gear 23y by the screws 30 to 35. The holes through which these screws pass are elongated whereby the angular positions of the arcuate members 21 to 29 can be adjusted. The members 21 to 29 carry fixed contacts 35 to 38, respectively, and movable contacts 39 to 4I, respectively. The movable contacts are mounted on arms 42 to 44 pivoted on the members 21 to 29 at 45, 4B and 41. The arms 42 to 44 are provided with cam followers 48 to 50, respectively, which are urged against the cam by the springs 5I to 53. While the cam followers are on the high portions of the cam 5, the several sets of contacts are open but as the cut-away portion of the cam 5 reaches each of the cam followers 48 to 50 its contacts close. It will be noted that the cut in the cam is radial at the leading edge; hence the contacts are closed very rapidly and wear of the cam does not affect the timing.

The contacts are connected in circuit with the signal impulse transmitter, for example, an underwater compressional wave transmitter 55 as shown in Fig.` 4. Interposecl in the circuit is a selector switch 54 whereby any one of the three sets of contacts can be selected for the operation of the transmitter 55. Therefore, although each set of contacts is closed once in each rotation of the cam 5, nevertheless only one set of contacts is effective to operate the transmitter depending upon the position of the switch 54. By this means different depth ranges can be recorded, the position of the switch 54 indicating which section of said range has been selected. The selector switch 54 has a pointer at one end which points to the position indicating sector 54 on which the different positions such as I, 2 and 3 may be indicated.

Since the position of the ring gear 23 on which the contacts are mounted must be adjustable, as will hereafter appear, the movable contacts 39, 40 and 4I are insulated from the rest of the apparatus and are connected by brushes 13, 14 and 15 to slip rings 16, 11 and 18, respectively, which are mounted on a second yoke 'it fastened to the yoke 2U. These slip rings (omitted from Fig, 4 for simplicity) are connected to the three contact studs of the selector switch 54. The stationary contacts 36, 31 and 38 may be grounded to the frame.

1 Now, it is important that the transmitted signa1 impulse be sent out at precisely the instant when the stylus l is at the correct angular position with respect to the depth graduations on the chart For the rst depth range, that is from zero to, say, 75 feet, the cam follower d8 must drop into the cam depression i9 and thereby close the contacts 36, 39 at precisely the instant the stylus i crosses the zero line. In order t make a convenient adjustment for this purpose, the ring gear 23 is engaged by a worm 53 which can be rotated through the flexible shaft El! by rotating the knob 58. By turning this knob the relative position of the contacts 36, 39 with respect to a predetermined position of the stylus is changed. Thereby the contacts can be made to close at the instant the stylus is in any predetermined position with respect to the record paper. It may be noted here that bythe use of an irreversible motion transmitting system such as the worm and ring gear shown, the position of the contacts can readily be changed at any time without having to operate any additional locking mechanism. Moreover, a remote control is provided by the flexible shaft so that the adjustment can be made from the outside of the instrument case. However, since all the contacts are mounted on the ring gear 23, all of them will be moved angularly together by this adjustment. For the succeeding depth ranges, therefore, the contacts 3l, 4t and 38, di must, therefore, be independently angularly adjusted with respect to the contacts 36, 39. This is accomplished by adjusting the relative positions of the segments 2, 28 and 29 by means of the screwsl 3D to 35. The angular separation between the several sets of contacts can be correctly adjusted during factory assembly and it need not thereafter be disturbed. Zero adjustment for the rst depth range will then be effective for all the others.

Upon the member 24 there is mounted a scale 59 by means of the screws 60, 6l. The scale carries three sets of graduations B2, 63 and 64. The upper set of graduations 32 is arranged adjacent an index 65 which is fastened to the member 22 and therefore remains fixed in position. The lower sets of graduations 63 and 6d are adjacent an index 66 which is mounted on an arcuate plate 61 which is similar to the contact-carrying plates 21, 28 and 29, It is held on the ring gear 23 by a thumb screw 63 which passes through a slotted hole in the plate 6l'. The angular position ofthe plate 67 upon the geared disc 23 and therefore the position of the index $6 with respect to the contacts can be accurately adjusted by a micrometer adjustment. 'Ihis comprises a post 69 fastened to the plate 61 and having a threaded hole therein adapted to receive an adjusting screw T0 which is freely journaled in another post 'H secured to the ring gear 23. By rotating the screw 'Iii by means of its knurled head 'i2 the position of the plate 61 with respect to the contacts is thereby altered. Now it will be observed that rotation of the knob 58 and consequently of the ring gear 23 changes the instant of closing of the various transmitting contacts with respect to the stylus position by an amount in depth units indicated by the index 66 on the scales 63 and 64.

Having properly set the contacts for Zero position on the chart, the position of the scale-carrying member 59 is adjusted by loosening the screws 60, 6I until zero of the scale S2 is opposite the index 4(i5. By means of the screw l the index 66 is set at the zero mark of scales 63 and Gli. With this setting the depth readings on the chart will be in terms of the depth beneath the compressional wave transmitter and receiver.

The record paper 2 is preferably of the type having a, carbonized or otherwise electrically conductive body with a thin coating thereon adapted to be discolored or burnt away by the passage of an electric current through the paper. The paper 2 is wound on a spool @il whence it passes over a roller el, thence over a marking platen 82 by power supplied by sprocket drum t3 having teeth adapted to engage perforations in the paper, and thence to a take-up spool Sli. A

The marking stylus itself together with its holder is shown enlarged in elevation in Fig. 3. The stylus i which may consist of a steel or other hard, electrically conducting wire is removably held in a clutch or vise I3@ controlled by thumb nut i63 which is fixed to an arm it! pivoted at 32 in a U-shaped bracket i3@ which is secured to the rotating arm 3 by the screws i3d (visible in Fig. 2). The stylus end of the arm i3l is urged against the record paper a as it travels over the platen t2 by means of a spring H35, the tension of the spring being adjustable by means of the screw 36. The operating circuit for the stylus includes the receiver amplifier H37 which suppliesthe primary |38 of a voltage step-up transformer. The secondary winding E39 of this transformer has one end grounded, the other end being connected to one stationary contact Id@ of a single pole, double-throw relay lili having a movable contact M2 and an operating coil M53. When the coil it is not energized, contacts Ido and M2 are closed. Contact M2 is connected to terminal ll on the stylus holder through a brush (not shown) which bears 'against slip ring H35 (Fig. 2). Terminal Ml is connected to the movable stylus arm lSi by the flexible lead it The entire stylus holder is completely insulated from the arm 3 by a block le@ of insulating material as shown in Fig.` 1. From the stylus l the circuit passes through the record paper 2 to the platen d2 and back through ground to the transformer secondary |39. When a. reflected signal impulse is received, the amplifier i3? is energized and causes a current impulse to pass from the stylus l through the record paper thereby making a mark.

It will be noted that the stylus is mounted at a relatively small angle with the paper surface, namely about 30 degrees. The stylus arm-'should therefore not be rotated backwards, for if this were done', it would be likely to tear the paper and bend the stylus. Moreover, backward rotation 'of the contact-operating cam 5 must also be avoided because of the shape of the cut VI9 in the cam and of the cam followerswhich might thereby be broken. To prevent such backward rotation, the shaft l has an overrunning clutch drilling and tapping of the holes for the screws |66, |81, no machine work need be done.

In order to indicate on the record the instant the survey ship passes a predetermined position on its course it is desirable to be able readily to make a distinguishing mark or fix on the record paper. For this purpose the operating coil |43 of relay |4| is energized from the battery or other power source |41 by closing the key |48. This causes the movable contact |42 to move toward the relay coil and connect with contact |49 which is connected to battery or other power source |50 and thence to ground. During the transit of the stylus over the record paper, the current, therefore, passes from the stylus through the paper so long as the key |48 is depressed. By this means the stylus can be made to make a mark completely across the paper when the key |48 is closed.

The record provided is illustrated in Fig. 5, where a portion of the record paper 2 is shown. having depth indicia I, of which the rst onL the left-hand side is the zero depth mark. Outgoing or transmitted pulses are recorded by the stylus I at A, while returning echo signals are recorded l at B. As a consequence of the advancement of the paper 2 by the sprocket drum 83, repeated marks at A and B are arranged in the general direction of the long dimension of paper, and provide a continuous record. The x mark F is a continuous mark extending for a length across the paper depending on how long the key |48 is depressed. It may be repeated if the key is held down long enough.

6 Having now described my invention, I claim: 1. lIn a depth sounding recorder having a recsource, whereby a iix mark can be made across the paper.

2. In a depth sounding recorder having a record paper, a stylus adapted when energized by means for producing Spouse to the receipt an electric potential in reof a signal impulse, means normally connecting said impulse responsive means to said stylus, a potential source, and a keying device under control of the operator for connecting said stylus to said potential source, whereby a fix mark can be made across the paper. ALBERT E. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The i'ollowing references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNII'ED STATES PATENTS Name Date Andrews 'Oct. 25, 1898 Number 

